Milosevic Charged with Genocide

U.N. prosecutors in The Hague say they have filed new charges against former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, including charges of genocide during the Bosnian war. Meanwhile, a former Yugoslav navy officer wanted for his role in the 1991 shelling of the Croatian city of Dubrovnik has turned himself over to the U.N. war crimes tribunal

Officials with the prosecutors' office say the new charges against Slobodan Milosevic concerning Bosnia have been filed with the court, and must be confirmed by the judge. No details of the indictment were disclosed.

Mr. Milosevic already faces charges of war crimes in Kosovo and Croatia and is in a Hague prison awaiting trial.

Meanwhile, retired Vice Admiral Miodrag Jokic surrendered to the war crimes tribunal. Prosecutors say he played a leading role in the shelling of the medieval port city of Dubrovnik in 1991, after Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia.

Prosecutors say attacks launched by the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army and navy resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians and damage to hundreds of buildings. The city is a designated UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

The Croatian fighting set off a decade of wars in the Balkans as the former Yugoslavia disintegrated. Only Serbia and Montenegro are still part of Yugoslavia.

Mr. Jokic is being charged with 16 counts of war crimes, including murder and the extensive destruction and plunder of property.

Three other senior officers also have been indicted for their roles in the siege of Dubrovnik. One of them, a retired general, surrendered to the tribunal last month. The other two men remain at large.

Before leaving Belgrade, Admiral Jokic said he performed his duties in accordance with international law and expects his country to stand behind him.

On the plane with him was Serbia's interior minister, who said Serbia supports, what he called, Mr. Jokic's "honorable decision" and would ask the tribunal to allow Mr. Jokic to await trial at liberty.

Also on the plane to The Hague was Mira Markovic, Mr. Milosevic's wife, who was on her way to visit her husband.